Save Our School: music students beg

The 'SOS: Support Our School' concert was organised by piano student Andrew Rumsey who was hoping to rally support and showcase the world class talent the school is famous for.

"Music is a fantastic form of expression and what better way to convey how we're all feeling at the moment than having a massive concert to channel our feelings and ideas into our music," he said.

Llewellyn Hall was so full that the concert was streamed into the nearby Larry Sitsky Recital Room and people were denied entry to the concert due to overcrowding.

"We're looking at close to 1,500 people, which is probably the highest number of people that we've ever had at a School of Music event," said Andrew.

The host for the evening, cello student Jack Hobbs, said he felt overwhelmed by the support that people had been showing him since the proposed changes were announced.

"Over the last couple of weeks, I've been moved to say at times to friends that it's been like a funeral when everyone turns up after someone's died and remembers how much they loved them and how much they miss them," said Jack, "but looking around today it's pretty clear that the ANU School of Music is certainly not dead yet."

He believes that without the School of Music the arts scene in Canberra would start to fade away.

"The Canberra School of Music is the wellspring from which so much of the musical activity in Canberra originates; there really are not many salary jobs for high level musicians in Canberra.

"So I think if we see the School of Music go then we'll see institutions like the CSO, the CIMF, which is the Canberra International Music Festival... really suffering because they won't be able to find the musicians to fill those positions," he said.

This was an idea echoed by members of the community who were there to show their support,

"It would turn into a city of public servants and mindless work and mindless buildings in a mindless circle on a mindless hill, that's all Canberra will be if the music school is killed," he said.